"Fragrance" and "Petunia"

I love my family...a lot.  We're in a really fun season of becoming adults and enjoying each others' company.  We've revisited countless childhood stories in the last few years and it's usually quite hilarious.  I really love it when David, in particular, tells stories.  Once he starts belly laughing, it's all over from there.  Sometimes I just wonder where in the world we had time to come up with this stuff...Recently we had a good laugh over, "Fragrance" and "Petunia."  Let me explain...

One of my brothers is especially passionate.  He lives life to the fullest and growing up it wasn't too difficult to get under his skin.  Let's just say that between 6 siblings, tensions could escalate very quickly.  Two brothers in particular rather enjoyed pushing his buttons to the brink.  They saw it as their self-righteous, brotherly duty, to "call him out," with pet names like "Fragrance," or "Petunia," when his moods were particularly sour.  Without knowing it, in essence they were saying, "Your attitude stinks.  Why don't you freshen it up a little bit?"  That really stirred the pot.

Recently I heard a sermon by Dr. Bill Lawrence on 2 Corinthians chapter 2.  He emphasized that for Christians God, "Always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."  As he said, "People are sniffing us out...'She smells like...Jesus.'"

When I was a little girl and my grandpa died, I remember, helping my grandma go into his dresser and closet.  I was comforted by the lingering cologne on his clothes.  We too are an aroma that brings comfort as we remind people of Jesus and in the process please God.

I'm pleased to say that, "Fragrance," and "Petunia," is a brother that does smell of Jesus...